Governor Youngkin Outlines Priorities in State of the Commonwealth Address
Governor Youngkin outlined his priorities for the 2023 General Assembly session in his State of the Commonwealth address to the General Assembly on Wednesday afternoon, reiterating his pledge to accelerate efforts in economic competitiveness, education, public safety, and behavioral health, among other priorities. The Governor welcomed three new members of the legislature who were elected […]
Key Dates for the 2023 General Assembly
As part of its organizational work on the first day of the 2023 session, the General Assembly adopted a procedural resolution on January 11 that sets out important dates and deadlines for the 2023 legislative session. January 11: General Assembly convened at noon. Bills that were “prefiled” were due to be submitted by 10 a.m. […]
2023 General Assembly Convenes – Look for Capitol Contact on Tuesdays and Thursdays
The 2023 General Assembly session convened on January 11 setting the stage as legislators will deliberate on many issues of critical importance to local government, including the state budget, broadband, education funding, economic development, public safety, taxes, and other policy matters. VACo will continually provide updates during the session through Capitol Contact. Capitol Contact will be […]
Visit Clarke County and the Clarke County Historic Courthouse
Location: 104 North Church Street / East Main Street Built: 1837 – 1838 Style: Roman Revival Architect: David Meade Contractor: D H Allen, Magistrate and County Commissioners Description: The building faces west and is a two story red colored Flemish-bond brick structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of […]
ONE MILLION DOLLARS IN FOREST SUSTAINABILITY FUNDING AWARDED TO 68 LOCALITIES ACROSS VIRGINIA
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – The Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) has announced the awardees for the 2022 Forest Sustainability Fund. One million dollars will be distributed proportionately to 68 Virginia localities to partially offset the reduced real estate tax revenue that results from forestland use taxation. The localities will be able to use these funds for […]
Governor Youngkin Proposes Amendments to 2022-2024 Biennium Budget
Governor Youngkin presented his proposed amendments to the biennium budget last week to a joint meeting of the House Appropriations, House Finance, and Senate Finance and Appropriations Committees. In his remarks to the Committee members, the Governor summarized his proposals as “going faster and getting more done,” and stressed the need to accelerate work to […]
JLARC Meets to Review Reports on Community Services Boards, SOQ Funding Formulas, VRS, and other Items of Importance to Local Governments
On December 12, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) met and received reports from Commission staff on a number of items of interest to local governments. These included an overview of Community services boards, Dual Enrollment program costs and funding, an interim report on SOQ funding formula review, the annual VRS oversight report, […]
Visit Chesterfield County and the Chesterfield County Historic Courthouse
Location: 10011 Iron Bridge Road / Wagner WayBuilt: 1916 – 1917Style: Classical RevivalArchitect: J T SkinnerContractor: Vaughan Construction Company of Shawsville Description: The building faces south and is a two story red colored brick and wood Colonial Revival style structure. The building is located on the landscaped grounds of the Courthouse Square in the center […]
three+one – Understanding the Time Commitment
Armed with YOUR data, not opinions, cashVest allows you to see more, so you can do more with your cash. Your time is valuable, your work is important, and because our team at three+one is composed of public officials too, we have perfected how to onboard your public entity to cashVest without further stretching your […]
CONGRATULATIONS PHYLLIS!
Congratulations to VACo General Counsel Phyllis Errico for being recognized with the Virginia Society of Association Executive’s 2022 Awards of Excellence for Association Staff!
JLARC Reports on the Impact of COVID-19 on K-12 Public Education and the Virginia Board of Education Releases Annual Report on Condition and Needs of Public Schools
On November 7, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) released its report on the Pandemic’s Impact on K-12 Public Education. In short, chronic absenteeism, behavioral, and mental health issues among students have drastically increased, just as academic achievement has declined. Teacher and staff retention has worsened significantly as more teachers are leaving the […]
Workgroup on Jail Fees Releases Report
A workgroup to make recommendations regarding the reduction or elimination of certain fees charged to individuals incarcerated in local or regional jails released its report last week. The State Board of Local and Regional Jails convened the group at the direction of legislation passed during the 2022 General Assembly session. As introduced, the legislation would […]
Final Report on Children’s Services Act Special Education Services Issued
The final report from the workgroup that was tasked with examining the use of Children’s Services Act (CSA) funding to support special education needs was released on December 6. Although the stakeholder workgroup adopted a set of recommendations at its final meeting on October 14, these recommendations were subject to review by the Secretary of […]
Commission on School Construction and Modernizations Makes Recommendations to the General Assembly
On December 1, the Commission on School Construction and Modernizations met to review efforts by the General Assembly and Governor to act on the Commission’s recommendations from 2021 as well as make recommendations for the 2023 legislative session. Overall and with one exception, the most recent Commission recommendations align with VACo priorities to address the […]
LODA Fund Premiums Set to Increase in FY 2024
As part of their November 15 meeting, Virginia Retirement System (VRS) Board of Trustees approved an increase to the premium for the Line of Duty Death and Health Benefits Trust Fund. The Board of Trustees typically sets Line of Duty Act (LODA) rates for participating employers on a biennial basis. Last year, at its November 16, 2021 […]
Joint Commission on Health Care Adopts Recommendations from 2022 Studies
The Joint Commission on Health Care held its final meeting for the year on December 7, adopting a series of recommendations emerging from the four studies the Commission conducted this year and approving a set of studies to be undertaken in 2023. Of particular interest to local governments are the recommendations from the studies on […]